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Image from the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/world/asia/15nuclear.html?_r=1)
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Fukushima, the Media, and the Reality-based Worldview
By Fahrusha from Fahrusha's Weblog
I have not wanted to write about Fukushima, because I have nothing good to say. My grandmother used to tell me “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Sadly, I have not entirely lived up to her words, but I have tried. The Japanese people have much to overcome in their current situation and I do not wish to make their lot any worse than it is, and that would be difficult to do in any case.
I have been following closely the situation involving the nuclear reactors which were affected so disastrously by the earthquake off the coast of Japan last spring. The site from which I have gotten most of my information is Arnie Gundersen’s Fairewinds Associates. Mr. Gundersen and his wife have been steadfastly reporting the bad news that is horrible to hear, but it is bad news that we must force ourselves to hear. His is a wake-up call to all Americans that nuclear power is inherently horribly dangerous and that danger once unleashed is complete and lasting annihilation. American nuclear reactors are mostly old and past the date which they were originally intended to be taken off line. This adds to the danger as leaks are more likely from old reactors. The single piece of good news is that solar power has surpassed nuclear power in energy production in the United States.
In a nutshell, the Fukushima nuclear disaster is far from being over. The site is still red hot with nuclear particles. Tokyo itself, 148 miles away from the Fukushima reactors, should probably be evacuated. The level of contamination of random ground samples in Tokyo would be considered hazardous nuclear waste in the US. The officials of TEPCO (Tokyo Electrical Power Company?) who run the Fukushima facility and the Japanese government have been lying to their citizens and to the world. TEPCO is even burning nuclear waste and putting hot particles in the atmosphere that we all breathe. They have become mass murderers as many innocent people and animals around the world who unwittingly breathe those particles will die horrible deaths from various cancers. This is not supposition, this is fact.
The US is in collusion with the cover-up of the facts. Please read the following articles:
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/the-radiation-warnings-you-wont-get-from-the-mainstream-propaganda-machine_04022012
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/01/fukushima-radiation-spreads-worldwide.html
I am extremely disappointed in Hillary Clinton in that she signed an agreement to the effect that the US would continue to import goods from Japan without subjecting them to testing for radiation.
Why has the media chosen to ignore the obvious danger coming from Fukushima and why do the government and various states continue to champion the building of these reactors, these machines of certain doom, although there are other cleaner energy options such as solar, wind, water and geothermal energy available? Many European countries whose populations may be more awake than Americans have begun the phasing out of all nuclear power from their borders. In fact the nuclear industry is greatly tax subsidized by the American taxpayer: See this Alternet story by US Senator Bernie Sanders and Ryan Alexander.
The Fukushima situation is worse than the disaster of Chernobyl in the Ukraine. Take seven minutes out of your busy life to look at the legacy of Chernobyl here. Notice that Chernobyl is estimated to have caused nearly a million cancer deaths worldwide. Now realize that the Fukushima disaster will continue to cause cancers for the next 100,00o years. Yet our mass media outlets continue to ply us with vacuous stories and little to no information on this very real menace.
Please keep checking these internet news resources for valuable information, it may be the most important thing you can do for yourself, the environment and generations to come.
Fairewinds Associates
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
The SchwartzReport
The Fukushima Diary
3 comments:
It is a terribly, sad state for everyone. Yet for most of us, out of sight, out of mind. I too have been learning more and more about the ongoing dangers since the disaster and was surprised by the real facts which are still an issue. Shallow minded I guess over the the idea that something so terrible could be so neatly wrapped up and cleaned up and taken care of and not be an issue for us waaaaay over here in the U.S. Now I have so many questions as to why. For me the possible answers to the whys are proving to be as just disturbing as the disaster itself, as the threat continues and most people aren't even aware of it. My heart goes out to those immediately effected by this, those living extremely close to the location and then to the rest of us who are being lead blindly through life. Is there really only so much we can do? And when we speak up or push for change, how do we sound sane and not like an alarmist or conspiracy theorist? Like you said if there was something to worry about, surely the news would be all over this everyday. Right? Sadly that's what most people think. Thank you for the link and posting this, education in what is going on makes the difference between sounding sane versus an alarmist. So here's to wishing that the tides will turn and enough people will start empowering themselves with questioning what is going on around them instead of waiting for the TV to assure us that everything is fine. I truly hope that within my lifetime more and more people will wake up and will feel compelled to band together in hopes of making a difference against the powers that be which continue to make such poor decisions for us all, hoping we won't notice.
Wow, this is terrible and tragic and unbearable sad. We have 2 very old nuclear reactors in Florida - one to the south of us, another to the near north - Miami and the Fort Pierce area.
I agree with you, Cole, 100%
Thank you, Cole and the Macgregors. I absolutely agree with you, Cole. As a child of the 60's, it is very strange to me sometimes the passivity of our world, the seeming triumph of the media and "bread and circus" mentality. I can point to so many movements (and movies) in the past that tried to educate about this - does anyone remember Silkwood, about nuclear activist Karen Silkwood, starring Meryl Streep?
As Fahrusha points out, this disaster extends not only into the next 7 generations, but into the next thousand generations. Louis the 14th, the extravagant king of France whose reign preceeded the French Revolution said "apres moi, la deluge". His excess looks very mild, compared to our time.
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